Most people these days are familiar with Emotional Intelligence or EQ (the ability to recognize our own emotions and those of others to guide thinking and behavior) and Social Intelligence or SQ (the ability to form rewarding relationships and manage complex social change). But what about Cultural Intelligence? Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is defined as “The capability to function effectively across… More…

Meet Olga Ievtushenko, an Innovation Manager at Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tennessee! Olga, originally from Ukraine, came to the U.S. in August of 2008 to earn her PhD in Textile Technology Management in Raleigh, North Carolina. When I asked her what her favorite things are about being in the U.S., she gave me a whole list of what she considers… More…

Ever wonder how folks around the world celebrate birthdays? As I approached my own recent birthday, I wondered. So, I did a little poking around, learned about some fun traditions, and thought of some ways for you to incorporate them at home and at work (see ideas below). These are only a few of the many types of celebrations. Some… More…

Subhashish Acharya (known as “Subs” to his friends) came to the U.S. from Kolkata, India eleven years ago. He lives in Lowell, Massachusetts, “right downtown, where the action is”. After working at Oracle for a decade, he recently joined PTC to manage the Strategic Alliances with HP globally for IoT. “The thing I’ve enjoyed most is the people in the… More…

Receiving feedback (solicited or unsolicited) is an opportunity for us to get a bit of a glimpse of ourselves from the outside; to understand the impact we have on others. There’s been much written about the most effective ways to deliver feedback, and even on the best ways to receive feedback (Thanks for the Feedback, Heen/Stone). And while all that… More…

My dear friend and colleague, Ank Stuyfzand, came to the US (Southern California to be exact) 14 years ago from The Netherlands, for work and the adventure of living abroad. Four years ago, she and her family moved from SoCal to Massachusetts, which she says was “like moving to another country all over again!” What Ank loves most about being… More…

A few weeks ago, I invited four colleagues and friends of mine to lunch. These four women, who were originally from Russia, India, Philippines, and UK, have been living and working in the US for many years. The reason for my invitation was two-fold… first, I’m all about community. I’m always looking for reasons and opportunities to bring people together… More…

Srithika Thodur Madapusi, a Senior Leadership Development Manager, came to the US to work with Cognizant Technology Solutions when her husband was transferred here for his work. Although she’s now returned to India, she spent two years working here in their Academy Division. That’s where I met and got to know Srithika, while we developed and delivered the first year… More…

One afternoon, as he stepped onto the elevator to return to his office after lunch, Brinker International CIO, Johnny Earl, joined the twenty-something man already inside. Not knowing each other more than by name, they exchanged a quick pleasantry and shared the short ride together. Johnny couldn’t help but notice that the young man seemed very upbeat; as though he… More…

Bala Thillainathan, originally from India, is a Technical Lead at Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies. He’s been in the U.S. for 20 years now, having initially come here for work. “It just kind of happened!”, he says. Bala most enjoys the speed of access and efficiency of getting things done here, versus things that might take longer in his home country. The… More…